Jack Diablo
Just when you think you’re done writing about music…
One of my personal favorite things about craft beer is the spirit of creative collaboration it seems to inspire. It happens a lot between breweries which is refreshing in its own right but it’s also pretty typical to see folks outside of the industry trying to get a piece of the action (worked for me). Possibly the most common collaboration outside of brewery to brewery you’re likely to find these days is between breweries and bands. It makes sense, after all. Bands like beer. Brewers like music and quite frankly who wouldn’t relish the opportunity to share your passion with someone you admire.
Fresh off the release of their latest album, Deftones have collaborated with San Diego-based brewery, Belching Beaver, on a new beer named after a track on the record. Phantom Bride is a West Coast-style IPA showcasing some of the hottest new hops on the market. Handpicked by Lead singer and guitarist, Chino Moreno, handpicked the Mosaic, Simcoe, Amarillo and Citra hops that give it its signature juiciness and probably the exact same hops I would choose for an IPA given the opportunity. Phantom Bride IPA was released just earlier this week but unfortunately is not distributed in Florida.
While noteworthy, it certainly is not the first of its kind. Dogfish Head has been finding inspiration for their beer from musicians for years beginning with tributes like Bitches Brew and Hellhound on My Ale, paying homage to Miles Davis and Robert Johnson respectively. Since then they’ve collaborated directly with the likes of Dan the Automator on the cider-beer hybrid, Positive Contact that also features exotic ingredients such as farro, cilantro and cayenne pepper. For Rosabi they worked with Juliana Barwick to create an Imperial IPA brewed with Louisiana red rice and wasabi.
Taking things a bit further, the oft-experimental brewers of Stillwater Artisanal collaborated with the bands Lower Dens, Small Black and Tennis for their Sensory Series. Designed to be consumed alongside the music that inspired them, the bottles displayed a QR code that linked to the associated track with some bonus content that provided additional context for the full experience.
Then of course, who could forget the most clever music-inspired beer of all time, if a little late to the game. Many, many, many years after their heyday, the Hanson Brothers figured out how to squeeze a few more bucks out of their chart-topping one-hit-wonder with Mmmhops, a pale ale that somehow outlasted that old nauseatingly catchy and adorable song of their youth.
Expect to see more exciting collaborations like this as craft beer continues to take the world by storm and brewers and bands alike discover new and fun ways to explore their shared passions.
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